Montville's season ends in state semifinals

Monday

Dec 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 3, 2012 at 3:03 AM

The words that came from Montville’s Isaiah Holloway, after the field emptied and most of his teammates had already departed for the locker room, were not of disappointment or sadness, but more of satisfaction.

Marc Allard

The words that came from Montville’s Isaiah Holloway, after the field emptied and most of his teammates had already departed for the locker room, were not of disappointment or sadness, but more of satisfaction.

Despite losing, 48-26, to Hillhouse in a Class M state semifinal at Middletown High School, there were no tears streaming down the face of Holloway, a fact he proudly pointed out.

“Our goal the whole season was to make it to the state playoffs and then make a run to the state championship,” Holloway said.

The Indians (9-3) had plenty of bumps along the way, including losses to New London and Ledyard, but it was the Indians and not the Colonels or Whalers who found themselves in the field of eight.

“We made it here. We fought in Middletown just like we did two years ago (versus Ansonia), but sadly, had the same result,” Holloway said. “Two years ago, I was a little younger, a little more innocent. I didn’t know what I was doing out here. Now that I’m older, I left my imprint on the younger kids and I think I’ve done my job here, not just on the football field, but with the team.”

The eighth-seeded Indians were longshots to take down the Academics, who sport running back Harold Cooper (12 carries, 146 yards), a player that Montville coach Tanner Grove called the “best football player we’ve seen,” and later added “I would argue he’s the best player in the state.”

Montville executed its game plan to perfection early, which was if the Indians didn’t want Cooper to beat them, they couldn’t let him have the ball. A 10-play drive that covered 4 minutes, 59 seconds ended in a Jeremiah Crowley 1-yard touchdown run to start the game, and it was just as Grove had drawn up.

“Run the ball, control the clock, keep those two kids (Andre Anderson is Cooper’s running mate) on the sideline,” Grove said, “and if we could do enough of that, pull out a one-score win.”

The reason for that plan was quickly realized on Hillhouse’s first possession. The Academics drove 61 yards, with Je’Vaughn Moore finishing things off when he faked the option pitch, juked inside Montville defensive end Brandon Robertson and ran 31 yards for the score.

The Indians followed with a crucial fumble on the kickoff.

“Me and (Crowley) were trying to communicate with the guys in front and weren’t paying attention,” quarterback and kick returner Nick Clemons said. “t was just dumb on my and Jeremiah’s part.”

With the ball on the Indians’ 28-yard line, the Academics turned that mistake into seven more points five plays later, when Facinete Haidara scored from two yards out.

Early in the second quarter, Hillhouse extended their lead to 15 points after Moore hit Anderson with a 58-yard pass to the Montville 14, and Cooper went in the rest of the way.

The Cooper dagger came after Crowley’s six-yard score to cut the deficit to nine, 21-12. The Academics had only 1:36 left in the half, and two plays later — which included a five-yard penalty and a sack — were staring at a third-and-17. Hillhouse handed the ball to Cooper, who ran right at a Montville linebacker and juked away for a 67-yard touchdown.

“That was huge, probably the biggest offensive play of the game,” Hillhouse coach Tom Dyer said.

The momentum gone, Montville yielded two more scores in the third quarter before scoring two of their own in the fourth, including an 82-yard run by Crowley, who finished with 246 yards rushing.

“I don’t have any great words,” Grove said, “but I’m as proud of this group as I have been of any group because of the impact they have had on me, personally, and our program. This group has some kids in it that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

One of those is senior offensive/defensive lineman Jake Basilica.

“(Grove) has made an impact on our life, too,” Basilica said. “I will never forget Coach Grove. He’s been not only a friend, but he’s been one of the best coaches I’ve had and I’m going to miss him and all the guys.”